[Dreamscape]

On the farm, something was clearly different this time. Scott picked himself up, feeling another aching sensation throughout his body, but was soon made aware of how different the farm was. The farm house was now more akin to a two story house made out of trailers, large metal structures that were particularly fused and built together in-tandem, into some odd, metallic mockery of normalcy. Scott walked forward and tried to enter the building, only for it to suddenly fade away the moment he reached for the door knob.

Scott looked to the fields of wheat, only to then be met by a large, freshly cut field of blue grass. Confusion and curiosity flooded Scott's brain, but he walked onto the discolored grass all the same. He walked onto the grass for a good few minutes, then looked back at his own footprints. At first, there was barely any sign that he had been on the field, but as Scott carefully looked at the footprints, he noticed that they started off small, then they got bigger and bigger, until the footprints matched those of his own shoe size.

Scott stared at the footprints for a moment, only to then realize that they were his own, but it was the footprints at the beginning that resembled that of a child's. The shapes of the prints seemed to change as he got older, in ways that he was familiar as to why. Scott kept walking, watching his own footsteps as he crossed over to the other side of the field, then looked back to where he came. Some of the footprints now seemed to change drastically.

One set of footprints was much bigger, resembling that of a boot print. The other set of footprints was heavy, deeper and more buried into the ground, like his feet were made of metal. Another set of footprints had purple gunk seeping and mildly flooding out of the foot-shaped indent in the ground. The final footprint was huge, had two claw-like toes, and seemed so much bigger than he expected.

Scott wasn't sure what was happening, but eventually, he turned around to step off the field, only to be surprised as he saw the man again, standing on the other side. Scott tried to reach out to the man, only for him to step back, causing Scott to trip up and fall onto the ground. Scott got up and smelled the air around him, finally catching the smell of the grass.

Lavender. Scott was perplexed, he wasn't sure what the purpose was for blue grass to smell like Lavender, but soon enough, he felt himself getting sleepy, much to his displeasure. Scott struggled to keep himself awake, but he was struggling hard. Scott tried to reach for the Altnetrix, but found that his arms had suddenly fallen asleep, causing his body to fall onto the grassy field with a mild thump. Scott felt his muscles relaxing, yet fighting against him. Everything was starting to spin, and he couldn't process what was happening. Before he knew it, everything was getting blurry, hard to make out, but soon enough, the man had vanished, and Luna stood in his place.

Luna knelt down and smiled. "Rest and put your mind at ease, Scott Baristo. You are at peace during your slumber, do not forget that when your mind starts to get ragged." Luna reassured.

Scott wasn't sure how to take this information, but his body was too tired and too relaxed to care. He felt his eyes trying to close on their own, but tried to keep himself awake.

Soon enough, he started to hear a familiar voice calling out to him. It sounded gentle, unexperienced, yet its tone was nothing but urgent.

[Ponyville; 5 hours later...]

Scott snapped his eyes open, feeling someone shaking him. "Scott!! Scott, wake up!" Scott eventually managed to grab Zapp's legs and stop his continuous shaking. Scott shook his head for a moment and let his eyes adjust, noticing that it was now pitch black outside, with the only light coming from the moon above, as well as the stars that gleamed amidst the night sky. Scott was genuinely surprised, as well as mildly nostalgic, but mostly ashamed. The last time he saw the night sky like this, it was on the same night that Ben Tennyson's secret was revealed to the world. It was also the night before he lost his parents. Scott hesitantly opened his mouth to say something, until Zapp turned his head towards the lit up village ahead. "Look up ahead, Ponyville's in sight! By the looks of it, it seems that they were expecting us!!" Zapp informed.

As the chariot got closer to Ponyville, Scott took note of the various decorations that depicted the sun, the moon, as well as numerous red ribbons, crimson-colored costumes and darkened stars that hung from brown yarn strings. Scott was snapped out of reality for the moment, seeming rather confused at the decorations, but thankfully, he was starting to get used to seeing more of these sentient pony-like creatures, and one of them seemed like the type he was eager to meet.

The pony in front of the numerous others that waited, was a mare with a gray mane, a light brown coat, was adorned with glasses, and dressed in a single bow tie. 'That must be the mayor, at least, I hope it is. Otherwise, I'm gonna look like an idiot, if they don't see me as a monster, first.' Scott thought.

Scott ducked down in his seat, all while the ponies cleared the way, revealing a few guards that stood firm, saluting the guards at the chariot's front. The guards snickered, much to Scott's confusion. "Relax, hyuumon, they're not gonna hurt ya, they would've tried already, if they didn't get the news from our early team! Let me explain," Scott looked at the guards skeptically, earning a smug grin from the stallions and mares, except for Private Zapp, who was very confused. As Scott got off the chariot, the stallion up front was clearing his throat. "During the last remaining hours you spent in Canterlot being harassed by its 'noble' residents, Luna requested that we had a couple guards move ahead of us, and inform them that the princesses have a special non-pony guest coming to stay in their town for an indefinite amount of time, eager to make themselves at home and willing to do all they can to help with any 'unnatural' issues beyond the royal guard's usual capability." The guard explained.

Scott's interest was piqued, as was his curiosity. "Unnatural issues, like aliens? Aliens have been here causing trouble!?" Scott inquired.

The mare next to the stallion nodded and smiled. "On occasion, yes. Most other times, something will come out of that heavily wooded area on the edge of the village, and depending on whatever comes out of it, will tear random parts of this village to shreds," the mare pointed towards a large, unexpectedly spooky forest. "The locals call it, the Everfree Forest. Long ago, it was said that the Everfree was just a normal unenchanted forest, until some pitiable fool decided to practice the occult, spreading dark magic across the entire landscape, causing it to essentially become a well-known tourist attraction, as well as a breeding ground for danger and the unknown," Scott's eyes widened as he swallowed, feeling his throat go dry as the mare continued to explain. "As recent reports have stated, before you showed up a month ago, the Everfree has become home for a number of unexplained and unfathomably powerful monsters not native to Equestria itself, with the kind of power that allows them to bend the Everfree, and the beasts that live within it, to their indominable and sinister will." The mare explained.

Scott was a bit taken back by everything the mare had said, and all the while, his mind was racing. He was curious, he was intrigued, he was nervous, he was excited for the challenge, he was practically ready to get back to doing his job as a Plumber, and yet, he was also worried. If aliens were in this 'Everfree Forest' place, and they come out just to cause destruction, what exactly was Scott going to do once he captured one of them for arrest, and had no real way of keeping them contained without a Plumber base, or the kind of alien technology made to imprison alien criminals? Scott felt a drop of sweat trickle down the side of his head as a look of worry and concern pulsed through him. 'I might be in over my head this time, I should've asked if Technorg wanted to come with me. At least I'd have backup.' Scott thought.

Scott sighed. "My plumber training didn't prepare me for anything like this, especially if there's no way to properly contain the threats that escape this forest, if the reports are true. This is gonna be difficult, far more difficult than I initially thought it'd be." The human remarked.

The mare in the bow tie walked to Scott's side, clearing her throat as she got Scott's attention. "I see you're eager to get started on handling our problem. You needn't worry about capturing them, just ensure that they don't hurt anypony, and you'll be compensated for your service. For starters," the ground began to shake. At first it was barely noticeable, but something has been getting closer, and closer. The ground started to shake even more, with the resident ponies starting to get worried, hugging some of the smaller ponies tightly, as if they were protecting them. "I'm sure the guards told you already, but if I may remind you, we're currently facing a large problem, from a large creature that's been agitated by some of the unfamiliar inhabitants of the Everfree Forest." the mare explained, backing away.

Scott looked towards the forest, and even amongst the night sky, Scott's eyes widened at the gargantuan sight of the creature. The creature was standing far above the trees, it was definitely larger than most of the alien species Scott was familiar with in his line of work, but thankfully, it wasn't as big, let alone bigger than a To'kustar. Unfortunately, he had no real way of handling a Dragon, despite them existing back where he came from, they disappeared altogether in an instant.

The dragon was soon illuminated by the moon's light, revealing its huge wings, a set of ginormous purple back scales jutting from the top of its head, only to end at the tip of its tail, with the last purple scale being in the same shape of a lit flame. Its green eyes shined in the night like the stars above, but it was utterly horrifying, rather than nostalgic. The pitch black scales that covered the entirety of the dragon's body was enough to almost conceal it in the shadows of darkness. It roared out like a symphony of thunderstorms, all while a stream of red hot fire was spat from its maw, lighting up the sky in a show of burning light.

The creature stomped forward, all while the ponies began to panic, and Scott was both ready to defend, as well as ready to start shitting bricks. 'A Dragon. I never thought I'd see the day I'd get to meet one of these gargantuan galactic cartographers... wait, what the hell could've pissed off something like a Dragon!?' Scott's thoughts raced hundreds of miles per hour, all while the Dragon started to encroach closer to the village. Scott shook his head and immediately tried to activate the Altnetrix. "Alright, guess it's time to get serious," Scott popped the core up and scrolled through his playlist, noticing the Detrovite icon being available for transformation. "What better way to get serious, than to improvise! It's Hero Time!" Scott exclaimed. He pushed down on the core, and was enveloped in a flash of turquoise light.

Scott's body began to tense up and bulk. His skin turned into a light tanned brown color as two blue-gray spikes grew out of his chin, and a black stripe formed on the top of the alien's bald head. A black and white chestplate formed over his muscular body as a bulky white collar formed, with the Altnetrix becoming prevalent in the center. A sleek and sleeveless one-piece black suit formed over the rest of the alien's body as his feet became two large sharp blue-gray claws. A white belt forms on the alien's waist as black fingerless gloves form on the alien's large beefy and meaty hands.

The alien flexed its muscles and roared out, practically prepared to fight.

As the flash of light died down, the Detrovite roared out and looked itself over, smiling as it cracked its knuckles. "Ohohoho!! This is gonna be sweet!" The Detrovite commented, its voice was deep, gruff and gritty, like it had gravel in its throat. The resident ponies were in shock that the human just changed his form, but before anyone could start an uproar out of panic and fear, Private Zapp quickly stood between them and the transformed Plumber as he ran towards the dragon.

Private Zapp took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled as he faced the crowd. "Everypony, do not panic! I know you're scared and worried about what your eyes have perceived, but I assure you, the princesses have seen this individual save Canterlot the day before from a monster that would've enslaved us, had he just left us to fend for ourselves. The princesses are more than aware of his 'unique' ability to change into other unforeseen creatures, and trusts that he will use them to help us in these confusing and trying times! Please do not panic, or attempt to attack, he's not a Changeling, it's been disproven!" Zapp tried to reassure the public, and while they did stop themselves from panicking and forming an angry mob, they weren't as optimistic in their chances of survival as they were moments ago. "Please, just trust him! Back where he comes from, they have an entire organization that handles problems of this magnitude, maybe even greater than this! He's trained for this kind of work, but that won't stop us royal guards from making sure you're all safe and sound! if everyone's accounted for, we'll begin with a bit of temporary evacuation." Zapp called out.

Evidently, everyone was worried and uncertain about their chances. Soon enough, somepony started pushing through the crowd. The pony was a stallion with slicked-back dark gray hair, and a grayish amber coat with light azure eyes full of concern and worry. Aside from being dressed in a blue jacket with a white dress shirt underneath and a red tie with a yellow dollar sign on it, he also had three money bags on his flank. "Where is she?! Where's my daughter!?" The stallion cried out.

The guards stood in the stallion's way. "Settle down, sir, we know you're frantic at the moment, but are you a hundred-percent positive that you didn't overlook your filly amidst the crowd?" The guard asked.

The stallion furrowed his brow and groaned. "My little princess hasn't been by my side since her mother pulled her out of public school! She's a heavy sleeper, she might still be at home, unguarded and unaware of the danger coming though!" The guards looked at each other. They were worried, sure, but they didn't move from their spot. "Let me through and let me find my little girl, please!" The stallion pleaded.

The guards stood firm, all while the dragon's roar echoed throughout the sky. "Not while the dragon's approaching, you'll get yourself hurt, or likely killed!" one of the guards stated firmly.

The stallion gritted his teeth, only for a larger red stallion to stand by him, resting a hoof on his shoulder. "I'm sure it won't be long, Rich. Let's let this whole debacle settle itself out, and once the coast is clear, I'll help ya find yer kin." The stallion reassured.

Rich looked to the stallion that towered above him, seeing a resolute smile on their face. Rich sighed and backed up, only to sit on the ground, rubbing his front hoof on the soil. "Big Mac, I sincerely hope you're right." Rich remarked.

The red stallion, known as Big Mac, chuckled and sat down beside the stallion. "I'm not sayin' I was, but I know for a fact that this is just another one of them days." Big Mac stated.

The Detrovite leapt from house to house, still being dwarfed by the sheer size of the dragon. The dragon itself was just now starting to move towards a small school house-like building, where a couple ponies had run into for shelter, upon seeing the stream of fire that came from the dragon's maw earlier. The dragon was looking around, as if it were trying to find something.

The Detrovite jumped onto the roof of the schoolhouse, and waved its arms into the air, trying to get the dragon's attention. "Hey, over here, ya gargantuan gecko!" The dragon looked down, seeing the Detrovite, and started to growl, glaring at the alien as clouds of thick smoke started to rise from the dragon's nostrils. "You got one chance to leave these ponies alone, and go back to where you reside! Because if you don't, I'll be forced to take you down, and take you in under Plumber custody! It's either we do this the easy way, or the hard way!" The Detrovite cautioned.

The dragon roared out, leading to the Detrovite jumping off the roof, and running towards it. "It was gonna be the hard way anyway, so good choice!" The Detrovite remarked.

The Detrovite smirked, lunging at the dragon's large foot as he started punching and stomping it wherever he could. The dragon didn't seem that affected, but could still clearly feel the violent attempt be made. Upon realizing that the dragon was barely feeling any of his attacks, he immediately tried to climb the dragon, to which the Detrovite was met by a stream of fire encompassing him. "Hah! Nice try, if you thought taking me down was gonna be easy, you're in for a serious reality check, jumbo!" The dragon soon stopped its fiery assault, but was surprised to see that the Detrovite was just fine. The Detrovite continued to climb onto the dragon, all while trying to keep a good grip as the dragon tries to shake him off. "Woah!!" the Detrovite exclaimed.

The dragon continued to squirm and move, until it eventually lost its footing, falling on its side into a field. The Detrovite flew off for a moment, ripping off a few black scales in the process as they skidded across the ground. The dragon slowly starts to pick itself back up, all while the Detrovite got back to its feet and dropped the scales, running back towards the fire-breathing beast. The Detrovite slams his fist into the dragon's face, managing to land two consecutive hits on the large scaly beast until he gets caught in its jaws. The dragon lifts the transformed Plumber into the air, ready to fling the alien away, until something stormed in and kicked the beast's jaws open, dropping the alien as he slid down the side of the dragon, landing on its back.

The dragon watched as a rainbow blur flew around its head, only to suddenly hit it in the bottom of its jaw, and back away. The blur soon revealed itself as a slender light-blue mare with wings, with both a rainbow-colored tail and mane. The mare smirked and kept trying to fight the dragon, narrowly avoiding streams of fire that the dragon attempted to use to attack the flying annoyance. "Come on, hot shot, is that all you got!? I've barely even broken a sweat!" The mare called out, sounding cocky and rather confident in her skills. The dragon roared out and spewed more fire at the pony, but the mare was flying too fast for the dragon to land a solid hit.

As the mare distracted the dragon from up above, the Detrovite was climbing along the back of the beast, noticing plenty of signs of previously healed wounds, battle damage that eventually became healing scars of the battles its fought. The further the alien climbed, the more it seemed to look that the dragon's outburst and rampage wasn't being caused out of anger that's been left unchecked, but rather, self-defense. "This is rather odd, I hadn't even considered that the dragon wasn't the initial aggressor in this situation. How am I gonna figure this out?" The Detrovite grabbed one of the huge scales and looked over to a wound on the dragon's left wing. Before he tried climbing further, he noticed something reflecting the moon's light off of it from said wound. Without much thinking, the Detrovite jumped to the wing, only to notice a large blue-ish green crystal lodged in the wing's support bone, and caked over in dried blood, practically stuck. "Let's see if I can't make any use of this." The Detrovite remarked, grabbing the crystal and yanking as hard as he could.

The dragon roared out in pain, trying to shake the Detrovite off of itself once more, only for the mare to fly high into the air, and come down at blistering speeds, just to slam her two backlegs into the bridge of the dragon's muzzle, staggering and stunning the beast for the time being.

The mare flies around, noticing the alien trying to pull the crystal free from the dragon's wound. The mare gritted her teeth and smirked, readying herself to charge in and attack. "Two problems for the price of one, piece of cake! He'll be dealt with in just a few short sec-" Before the mare could fly in and try to fight the Detrovite, a blue-ish green crystal whizzed by the mare's face, startling her as she landed on the dragon's shoulder. She looked towards the ground, only to see a large robust crystal lady charging in the direction of the dragon, wearing what looked like crystalized bones along her body like armor. The mare groaned, becoming both annoyed and concerned, that she might be outnumbered. "Great, just great! First a dragon, then one of those weird orc things, now this crystal chick's back! This is not my night, is it?! Way to go, Rainbow Dash, you got cocky and now backup's arrived! That's fifteen-hundred bits I'm not gonna be able to collect!" Dash remarked.

The Detrovite looked up, finally having plucked the crystal from the dragon's wound. "There we go, one Petrosapien crystal removed from a dragon's wing joint," The Detrovite felt numerous crystals pelt his armor, only to be met by the Petrosapien lady, who was staring the Detrovite down. "And the Petrosapien that lodged the crystal into said wing joint has come right to me, I'd say this is my lucky day, but let's be honest, I'm not doing something as stupid as letting my guard down. Care to explain, miss whoever-you-are?" the Detrovite inquired, cracking his knuckles.

The Petrosapien rushed towards the alien hero, forming her arms into battle-axe blades as she swings. The Detrovite jumps over her, only to hear the disgusting sound of flesh being sliced into, and bones being cut apart. The plumber turns around and barely has time to notice the large wing be severed, only to fall to the ground. The Petrosapien lady turns around, leering at the Detrovite. "Who I am is none of your concern, nor is my business any of yours." The Petrosapien lady snided.

The Detrovite was shocked, but it seems that the dragon was unaware of the loss of one of its wings, so the hero had a moment to figure this out. The Petrosapien lady rushed towards him, eager to try and land a strike, but the Detrovite was able to cross his arms and guard himself, wincing as he felt his right arm get cut a fair bit. The alien hero rushed forward, ramming the lady with his shoulder and punching them back, all while Dash watched from above. She wasn't sure what was going on, but as far as she was concerned, the dragon was losing, and that was all that mattered, for now at least.

The two aliens soon got into a fierce brawl, smacking each other around as each fighter tried to find a way to gain an advantage worth keeping, but unfortunately, the two were starting to get winded. Scott had never faced a Petrosapien in physical combat before, but with how this Petrosapien was fighting, she's clearly familiar with Detrovites. "Rather stubborn, and kinda rude, aren'tcha? Why'd you piss off the dragon?!" The Detrovite questioned.

The Petrosapien gritted her teeth and got ready to fire off more crystals, but the Detrovite quickly grabbed her face and tossed her to the ground, with the Detrovite hopping off to keep it busy. The Petrosapien landed, with the Detrovite standing before her, ready to fight. "I tend to forget how persistent and stubborn you Detrovites tend to be, but as far as I'm concerned, you're not worth the energy, you're just a simple-minded brute who serves no purpose. One of the dragon's wings is permanently clipped, and that's enough for me," The Petrosapien crossed her fingers and pointed them upwards, causing several dense crystal tendrils to jut out from the ground, only to ensnare and trap the Detrovite. the Petrosapien lady starts walking away, making their way to the severed dragon wing. "Be lucky that I spare your life this night, Detrovite, this is the only instance you will witness of my mercy. Should we cross paths again, I will not hesitate to dismantle your skeletal structure, re-construct your lifeless body into a new set of hunting gear, and turn your fleshier bits into bait for my future prey. You, and that prismatic-colored airborne equine." The Petrosapien calmly warned.

A chill ran up the transformed Plumber's spine, all while the Petrosapien started harvesting the wing. Soon enough, the Altnetrix started beeping, and in a flash of white light, Scott was transformed back into his normal self. Scott almost thought that he was in much more danger, but thanks to the drastic decrease in size and muscle mass, the crystal tendrils could no longer hold him, and he was able to climb out and run away. The Petrosapien could've gone after him, but she didn't seem to immediately care about who she had trapped.

Scott ran through the field, watching as a large one-winged dragon roared out aggressively and a rainbow-haired mare started flying towards him. Scott came to a stop as he saw the Dragon looking around, as if it were looking for something. Scott didn't have much time to focus on this when the mare got up in his face. "You! What the hay are you, and what did you do!?" The mare questioned aggressively.

Scott took a deep breath and sighed. "Remember that big creature that was pulling a crystal from the dragon's wing joint? That was me, this is just what I normally look like. I'm Scott Baristo, wielder of the Altnetrix, and Plumber Cadet, reporting for duty to protect and serve!" Scott made a salute, and decided to exhale and relax. "As for what I did, the basic answer to that is nothing, more accurately, nothing yet. The Petrosapien lady ended up cutting its wing off, fighting me, and is harvesting the wing as we speak. I wasn't told that I'd have backup on the way, are you with the royal guard, by any stretch of the imagination?" Scott explained, inquiring who the winged mare was.

Rainbow Dash wasn't sure what to make of what Scott had said. All she really focused on was stuff about the dragon, and while she was skeptical, the dragon was starting to tear the roofs off of houses and stores. The mare sighed and landed on the ground, standing tall as her eyes barely had to shift upwards to meet the human's gaze. "You'll have to explain that later. For the sake of being simple, I'm Rainbow Dash, and I used to be with the guard. Lets say for now, I believe you that you're with the guard for some reason, Celestia knows I'll never understand. Why should I trust you, and how do we stop that dragon from ripping all of Ponyville asunder!?" Dash questioned.

Scott nodded his head, not bothering to acknowledge the Altnetrix, since it was already starting to recharge. "Well, I can't transform again until the watch has recharged, but I do know there's a possible and peaceful solution to this," Dash looked uninterested and confused by Scott's words, but she continued to listen. "That dragon was only trying to find something, but now it's furious that one of its wings was severed by a hunter, i.e., the Petrosapien wearing crystalized bones. If I were a betting man, and thank the lord himself that I'm not, the dragon is probably a parent that's looking for its missing child! So now, the mission's a bit more simple. Find the dragon's child, use it to lure the dragon parent away from the town, and get them both as far away from here as we can get it without dying, and without getting anyone else killed." Scott explained.

Dash frowned at that plan, as well as the explanation. "We could just keep fighting it till it gives up, ya know. It usually works!" Dash remarked.

Scott gave the mare a deadpanned expression. "And it's a miracle you didn't die at all with such a brutal assault tactic," Dash raised an eyebrow in confusion, all while high pitch screaming echoed out. The two looked back at the dragon in the midst of Ponyville, only to find the beast ripping a very nice roof off of a building, then snatching up a small light purple filly with swirling purple and white streaks in her mane, and a tiny tiara on her head. The filly screamed out in terror, making Dash and Scott worry, but the human still had a plan. "Look, Miss Dash, it's do or die at the moment. You can clearly fly very fast, go save the child and get them out of here! I'll keep workshopping the plan from here, context is key in these kinds of missions, it's not always as black and white as one would typically figure!" Scott stated.

Dash nodded her head, a bit hesitant to listen to the human, but did fly off towards the dragon. As Dash raced to save the filly, Scott looked over to the severed wing, noticing the Petrosapien lady was still in the vicinity. Scott took a deep breath and quickly ran towards her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his badge, flashing it for the alien woman to see. "You have messed up, big time! By authority of the Plumbers, you are under arrest for reckless endangerment of innocent lives!" The Petrosapien looked over at the human, practically perplexed by the human's presence, but the determination in his eyes was enough to tell that Scott meant business. "Hands where I can see them, get on your knees! You so much as fire a crystal, make a blade or summon more crystal tendrils of any kind, and you're gonna wish you hadn't done something so stupid!" Scott ordered.

The Petrosapien lady gritted her teeth and prepared to run, only for something to poke the Petrosapien in the back. Private Zapp, now armed with his golden dagger, was ready to fight. "Scott, I'm guessing this is a bit more than you could handle on your own, sir?" Zapp inquired.

Scott sighed and nodded his head. "I thought it'd be a simple job, but the more I studied the dragon's facial expressions, as well as the body language, and numerous scars on its body that were a product of hunters, I knew this wasn't a typical problem. I could've been eaten if that rainbow-haired pony didn't save my life," Zapp was confused, but Scott simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'll explain later, but for now, this Petrosapien is going to help us fix this, since she is now part of the problem!" Scott explained.

Zapp glared at the Petrosapien, who was clearly not in the best position. "Here I thought I've escaped the Plumbers, telling me where I can or can't hunt. I have bills to pay, everyone in the cracklin' galaxy does! These exotic beasties are my ticket to one-upping that Zaroffian Ben 10 fanatic, and I figured if I was to go big, I'd have to get something much bigger than some supposed 'hyper-evolved' Vaxasaurian," Scott was mildly surprised, but not enough to be worried. The Petrosapien kept talking. "Eventually, I started cruising through the Milky Way, looking for a proper hunting spot in you humans' home turf. Soon enough, something I couldn't see shot my ship down, everything blew up, and I found myself 'ere one morning. My ship is nowhere to be seen, but I'm alright with proving how dangerous I was naturally. I've ripped through these beasts like the Antrosapiens ripped through Petropia, and while it was challenging, I wanted that big lizard mounted on my wall, but even here on this barren technology-bare planet, the Plumbers have found me!" The Petrosapien growled.

Scott frowned, he was disappointed. "Don't suppose you have a name, or anything else to confess?" Scott inquired.

The Petrosapien gritted her teeth and the moment one of her hands formed into a blade, Dash came flying in and ended up colliding with the crystal alien, knocking her off her feet. In Dash's arms was a small unicorn mare, who was shaking and twitching in Dash's hold. Scott recognized the look on that filly's face, and despite the memories he had of that fateful night, he repressed them for the time being.

Dash groaned and slowly got up, only to be met by the angered expression of the Petrosapien. "How ya doin'?" Dash asked.

Dash, as well as the filly, were shoved away, and the Petrosapien tried to run, until the dragon landed right in front of her, causing the Petrosapien to panic. "Oh no, you don't want me, I taste terrible!" The Petrosapien panicked.

The dragon moved its head lower, opening its jaws as it prepares to try and bite onto the crystal alien. Scott was conflicted for a moment, but decided to quickly rush forward and pull the Petrosapien away, all while the jaws nearly managed to catch the two in its grasp. "Private, escort the filly to her parents, and take miss Dash with you," Dash was about to open her mouth until Scott grabbed her muzzle and closed it shut. "Listen to me, as much as I appreciate the assist, even if you didn't intend it, this is still a dangerous situation for civilians, especially for children. I'll take it from here, just go and make sure that kid gets back to her folks! Go now!!" Scott ordered.

Zapp nodded his head and carried the traumatized filly in his arms, flying away as fast as he could. Dash was hesitant, but she started flying upwards. "You better not get yourself killed, you have a lot to explain, buster!!" Dash exclaimed, flying after the bat pony.

The petrosapien was about to leave, until Scott pulled on her arm. "Where in the hell do you think you're going! You're gonna help me fix this mess, and unless you wanna die now, this is the time to cooperate, for your own safety!" Scott remarked.

The crystal lady pulled her arm free, but Scott simply jumped on her back, putting her in a headlock. "Why are you so insistent on getting me killed, you idiot, 'protect and serve' my shiny crystal ass!" The dragon roared and opened its mouth again, trying to eat the two creatures as they bickered among themselves. Soon enough, Scott jumped off the woman's back and started to quickly gain some distance. "Do you have any idea who you're messin' with!? I'm a freakin' Petrosapien, dumbass!! I'm a hunk of serious crystal, and there's nothing you can do to hurt me!" The crystal woman exclaimed.

Scott smiled and pointed to the dragon. "I know, but he can, you wanna answer to him?" The petrosapien woman was then snatched up in the dragon's maw, her right arm was essentially trapped between the dragon's teeth. "It's either answer for your crimes, or die because of them! There's no in-between about any of this, whoever-you-are! Like I told the mare, it's do or die! Which is it, ma'am?" Scott inquired, shouting from the solid ground beneath his feet.

The petrosapien struggled to get herself free, but the dragon's grasp was actually pretty difficult. At first, she wasn't worried, but then her trapped arm felt like it was starting to melt. The crystal woman panicked, breaking her arm off as she fell to the ground, immediately regenerating it. The woman glared at Scott, who didn't seem that worried. "You son of a bitch, you were gonna let me die! All for what, a couple of stupid equines!?" Scott backed up, gesturing to the dragon. The woman looked up, only to be rather mortified by the hungry look in the dragon's eyes as it effortlessly devours the woman's old crystal arm. "Oh no... that's not okay, not in the slightest! That thing can eat crystals!?" The petrosapien shrieked in horror.

The woman looked back at Scott, seeing a smug grin on the human's face. "Well well, look who just ran out of options, and realized that she's in just as much danger, as everyone else around her," The woman gritted her teeth as she backed up, seeing the dragon start to slowly approach. "So, still feel like your consequences don't matter?" Scott questioned.

The woman gritted her teeth and groaned. "Fine, I'll help you! What do you want from me!?" The woman exclaimed, jumping out of the way of the dragon trying to snatch her up again.

Scott backed up and kept his eyes on the petrosapien. "More information on this particular dragon you've been after. Was it protecting any eggs?" Scott asked.

The woman frowned and scoffed. "That's what this is about, a buncha eggs!? It ain't my fault that some overgrown crocs took a bunch of 'em, shouldn't've been chasing me, anyway! It still has one egg left, no big deal!" The petrosapien exclaimed irately.

The dragon roared out, still approaching as it readied another stream of fire. "Let me be a bit more specific, lady. Did it have a mate, a partner that helped make those eggs!" The petrosapien paused for a moment, then immediately started to try running away. Scott was disgusted, and felt nothing but anger and sheer disappointment. "Don't tell me that gear you're wearing is made out of its mate... please, don't tell me it's made out of the dragon's mate!" Scott exclaimed, clearly exasperated and infuriated.

The petrosapien woman was uncertain. She tore her gear off and threw it at the dragon, causing the dragon to snap its jaws down on it, only to then recoil in disgust, spewing the gear away, clearly angered by the gear's taste as it roared. Scott stood to the side, watching as the dragon was no longer fixated on him, but on the petrosapien woman, who seemed rightfully fearful of her life. "Don't you think you should help me, how do I get this thing away from me!?" The woman exclaimed.

Scott shrugged his shoulders, letting a pessimistic look form on his face. "If I knew how, this dragon wouldn't still be here! You made a tasteless piece of gear out of the dragon's mate that you killed, you led hungry predators to its nest and got all but one of its offspring killed before they could hatch! You pissed off a dragon, killed its mate and nearly all of its unborn children, and endangered numerous lives that are native to this world!" The woman was terrified, yet at the same time, she felt something inside her tough crystal body, something that resembled guilt and fear. "You want my help? Fine. Lead it back into the forest, and get it away from those who could be easily injured or killed by it. I'll be right behind you, just don't let him catch you. He's fixated on you, he got a taste of you, and now, you're the one who's being hunted by an angry single-father. A widower, who's feeling particularly extra toxic about being hunted by his mate's and his unborn children's killer." Scott remarked.

The petrosapien wasted no time in running, making her way into the everfree forest, all while the dragon roared out and chased after her. Scott looked down at the Altnetrix, noticing that it was still recharging. "Just a little longer, and this'll be a bit easier." Scott remarked, chasing after the dragon.

[Ponyville Outskirts]

The ponies are waiting patiently as the dragon goes back into the forest, all the while, there doesn't seem to be any sight of the transformed human. As Dash and the rest of the guards slowly move towards town, the dragon's roar can be heard moving further and further away. "Is he luring the dragon away from town?" One of the golden guards asked.

Zapp nodded his head, looking back at Rich, who was cradling the traumatized filly in his arms. "Most likely. He probably couldn't fight it off, Celestia knows we couldn't put dents in that thing, it's a faust-forsaken dragon for Luna's sake! We'd be better off fighting those slimey acid creatures, or them one-eyed specters, not a damn dragon, we ain't strong enough, let alone paid enough, to deal with that! If the princesses really trust that Changeling wannabe to handle it, then let him get ripped to pieces, we'll still be alive by the end of the day!" One of the bat-winged guards remarked.

Zapp sighed and looked to the rainbow-haired mare, who was fidgeting in place impatiently. "Miss Dash, are you alright? You're not thinking of going back to that chaos, are you?" Zapp inquired.

Rainbow Dash smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Nah, I'm just waiting for that Scott guy to come back. I don't know how that watch of his is able to change him like one of those fuck-ugly feeling feeders, but I personally don't care, if I can be honest. I'll get an explanation out of him when he comes back, it's just a matter of time." Rainbow Dash remarked.

Zapp simply sighed, looking back at the forest. "Let me tell ya, Filthy Rich nearly flipped when the roof of his mansion got torn off by that dragon. Do you think it was attracted to expensive stuff, probably looking to add something new to its horde?" Zapp asked.

Dash snickered and shrugged her shoulders again. "Maybe, with how rich that guy's whole family is, I'm surprised they don't get attacked by dragons every hour," Zapp chuckled and sat down, watching as the other guards go to the townsfolk, seeing if everyone was fine and accounted for. "Hey, Private. What's your connection to this Scott guy anyhow, what's his story?" Dash asked.

Zapp cleared his throat and sighed. "Well, I was one of the guards stationed by Princess Luna to escort him to Ponyville, by the unanimous order of both Canterlot princesses. His story is, uh, complicated, but from what I've gathered, he's just a simple worker who tries his best to keep innocents safe, regardless of what they are," Dash was barely interested, but hearing it come from one of Celestia's guards was a bit jarring. "Apparently, back where he comes from, there was already someone who could transform into, in his opinion, much crazier things than he can. From what he's told me and the guards I was with, this 'Ben Tennyson' individual, he sounds like a mighty force for good. Must be some kind of Alicorn or something, but what would the human equivalent to an Alicorn even be like?" Zapp wondered.

[Everfree Forest]

Scott ran through the brush and hopped between a few holes as he kept up the chase. The dragon was in a frenzy, spewing fire down at the petrosapien lady, it was upset, angry beyond compare.

Scott continued to fiddle with the Altnetrix, though he didn't have any actual idea on which alien to use. 'I could use Smudge, take this thing on Dragon-to-Dragon, but fire attacks could make my body harden too much. My Detrovite form could easily tear the smaller scales off of its body, so that would be ideal, but what would the plan be from there? Bombadier is out of the question, not enough useful materials, anyway. Did the watch collect that Synthroid's DNA earlier? Do Synthroids even have DNA to scan!? If Ben can become things like Atomix, Clockwork, or Echo Echo, who knows what'll happen to me when I transform into that!' Scott thought.

The petrosapien leapt across rocks, crossing a pool of scalding hot water, where large crocodile-like creatures dwelled, their rocky exteriors floating above the water seemed to make it easy to act as camouflage, but Scott simply ran around, while the dragon stomped through, disturbing the crocs.

Scott saw a couple vines dangling from the trees and jumped up to a couple, swinging on them as he tried to keep within range of the dragon and the petrosapien. Scott swung from one last vine and landed back on solid ground, pacing himself as he tried to figure out a solution. Scott ran along a path, watching as the petrosapien suddenly jumps off a cliff, down to the path he was treading on. The two continue to run, with the dragon following close behind.

The petrosapien fires a few crystal shards at the dragon, but it doesn't seem to work like she hoped. The dragon had its mouth opened, letting the shards fly in without much sense in direction. Scott continued to try and work the Altnetrix, but despite being so close to being at full-charge again, it wasn't gonna work. Scott and the petrosapien stopped at a dead end, which was a large and high cliff that led down to solid ground. The dragon stops its pursuit, growling as it slowly moves towards them.

The pair of them move away slowly, getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. Scott continued to try and make the Altnetrix work, all while the Petrosapien tried to shove the human forward, in hopes of buying herself more time. The dragon roared out, until the Altnetrix finally got back to being full-charge again. Scott quickly popped the core up and cycled through his aliens. Much to both his relief and concern, the moment he twisted the dial past his Detrovite form, he was met with an icon that bore a resemblance to the Synthroid that attacked him, Zapp and the other guards before making it to Ponyville.

Scott quickly pressed down on the core, and in a flash of light, Scott was replaced by an imposing figure. The creature was much taller and muscular than Scott was, it was a black cybernetic being with a flat silver metal face with two glowing green dots for eyes and two glowing green lips. The mechanical man seemed to wear a white top similar to the pattern on Scott's t-shirt, a white belt, as well as white gloves and boots, all while the Altnetrix rested securely on its chest.

The dragon roared and spewed a stream of fire on top of the Synthroid, only to then be taken aback when a hand punches the dragon back. The Synthroid was completely fine, and it marched forward. The dragon swatted it away with its tail, but aside from knocking it towards the cliff, it didn't seem to do anything. "Pathetic. To think such a magnificent, legendary, and incredibly hard-to-find alien species such as this, would be so disappointing in actuality. If I am to uphold justice, to protect all life, then consider what I'm about to do to you, a sign of caution for when you decide to cross my path again, griever." The Synthroid stated.

The Synthroid rushes forward and holds its hands out, forming them into cannons. Lasers and electric beams were suddenly fired at the dragon, slowly chipping away at the scales on its body. The dragon recoiled from the attack, then tries to crush the Synthroid beneath its feet, but the Synthroid jumped into the air, delivering an uppercut to the dragon, knocking it on its back. The petrosapien was about to try and leave the scene, only for the mechanical humanoid to pull the dragon towards the cliff by its tail.

The Synthroid tossed the rest of the dragon off it, and dangled the huge beast over it. "There are two ways this can end, dragon. You forget about the petrosapien and take your last and only intact egg away from here, so it may grow, flourish and thrive! The second option involves none of that. In fact, it involves me tearing off that other wing, breaking every bone in your body, and dropping you from this cliff with no real chance of survival without support," The petrosapien was shocked by the Plumber's actions, yet she couldn't look away. "Which is it going to be. Forget vengeance, raise your child and protect it till your last breath, or waste your last breath now, abandon your kin, leave this world a coward, so your hatchling will die alone?" The Synthroid suggested, purposefully letting its grip on the dragon's tail loosen more and more.

The dragon was starting to fear for its own safety, the dragon started to panic, and to the Synthroid, that was all he needed to know. The mechanical humanoid pulled the dragon up and let it climb up, trying to rest. "You made the morally and ethically right choice, dragon. Now go find your egg, and raise your spawn like your mate wished for you to." The Synthroid stated flatly.

The dragon soon ran off, fearing the machine that threatened its life, leaving the petrosapien alone with the transformed Plumber. "I believe that it's time for you to take your reprehensible "hunting" somewhere else, preferably far away from the equestrians that inhabit the town nearby. If you don't, I think you know what I intend to do, and it will not be a pretty sight." The Synthroid advised.

The petrosapien nodded its head and she slowly started to walk away. "Just so we're clear, this isn't over. I'm glad I didn't get eaten, but now I need new gear, and stronger prey. I hope you cross my path again, Plumber, because I'll have the upper hand," the petrosapien started to move towards a path that goes deeper into the forest, only to turn around and look back at the Synthroid, who seemed to stare at her. "The name's Crystal, by the way. Try to remember my name when we see each other again." Crystal introduced, waving farewell as she ran down the path.

The Synthroid walked down the path that lead back to town, only to pause for a moment, staring down at the water. The reflection of his green eyes, the lifelessness behind them, nothing more than a murderous machine. The Synthroid carefully treaded the same path Crystal took, only with more caution, and taking the time to not harm or disrupt the wildlife.

Scott felt incredibly unlike himself. He never knew himself to be so cold, so cruel to another living being. As he continued his slow trek back to town, he could've sworn the moon's light seemed redder, but for all he knew, it was just his nerves getting to him.

As the Synthroid made its way back to town to reassure the pony folk that the dragon, along with its alien aggressor, have both been dealt with accordingly, the moon seemed to reveal a shape on its surface, one that seemed to vaguely look like a mare, not that Scott was paying attention, and walked through the Everfree, hoping the Altnetrix would time out before he got back.

Regardless, the main issue was resolved, but Scott knew that this could only get worse, before it would get better. Unbeknownst to the stranded Plumber, however, the worst was yet to come, and it was going to be very difficult without proper preparations.

Author's Note

So, this was a neat little chapter to end on, for now.

EDIT: For those who happen to have noticed anything majorly different thus far in the story, I'm going off of my own custom-created made-from-scratch lore for each chapter (for the Ben 10 segments and the MLP segments). My way of making things a bit more different, since Scott isn't your average Displaced.